Ken
TyrrellReleased from the RAF at the end of the war, Ken Tyrrell went into the timber business, acquiring the famous timber yard and a number of delivery trucks. At that time, his sport was football. “I didn’t even read about motor racing”, until his club ran a day-trip to Silverstone. “I saw the 500cc F3 race and I thought ‘Well, I’m sure I could do at least as well as him, and him, and him…’ He bought a part-share in an Cooper-Norton, and drove it in his first club race at Snetterton in 1952 and finishing second in the Junior race at Silverstone in August. Over the following six seasons Ken became a ‘500’ regular with many top placings, he won at Davidstow in May 55 and Karlskoga, Sweden in August of that year but never quite made it to the very top. His 500cc cars carried the symbol of a woodman’s axe, as he’d been nicknamed ‘Chopper’ Tyrrell – chopper by name and by nature…
Ken leads the first lap at Ibsley in May 1954.
In 1958 he went into partnership with Alan Brown and Cecil Libowitz to run a pair of 1500cc F2 Coopers internationally. Ken would drive one car, while the other would be hired out. But he was rapidly realising that his talents were better suited to running the team and when he was beaten in the last race of that year at Brands Hatch by a youngster named Bruce McLaren, he hung up his helmet. “Some blokes are born racing drivers, I wasn’t one of ’em. You can’t kid yourself and blame the car. You’ve got to face facts” What he did possess was high level of energy and organisational skill and the ability to inspire those around him.
His relationship with Cooper grew and in 1960 the Tyrrell Racing Organisation was established to run the factory Cooper-BMC team in Formula Junior, based at Ken’s timber yard. In 1961 the business expanded to include Mini Coopers. With the introduction of the new Formula 3 in 1964 Ken hired a young Scot named Jackie Stewart to partner Warwick Banks. Stewart won the British title and Banks won the inaugural European Touring Car Championship in a Mini Cooper S. In 1965 Tyrrell entered Formula 2 with a two car team of Cooper-BRMs.
Tyrrell switched to Matra-BRMs
in Formula 2 in 1966 for Stewart and Ickx and, after persuading Cosworth to supply his team
with the new DFV engine, he moved into F1 in 1967 with the Matra chassis. With Stewart
driving, the team won three races and finished second in the World Championship.
The car was further
developed for '71 and took Stewart to his second World
Champion and Tyrrell won the Constructors' title. Lotus responded in 1972
with the type 72 and Emerson Fittipaldi won the
title but Stewart beat him in 1973 with 5 wins. In qualifying for the final race of the
year at Watkins Glen, Jackie’s team mate, François Cevert, was killed and the team
withdrew, giving up its chance of winning the Constructors' title. Jackie Stewart had
already decided to retire and Tyrrell’s finest period was over.
Tyrrell would never
again achieve the same level although the team continued to innovate and developed the
Project 34 six-wheeler which had some success. By
this time, Formula one was becoming increasing professional with ever larger budgets from
sponsors but Ken failed to change and the team continued to be run on a shoe-string
budget, still based at it’s original home in Ken’s timber yard. Inevitably they
fell behind and in 1997, having failed to raise the money to continue, Ken and his sons
agreed to sell the team to British American Tobacco. The team became British American
Racing (BAR) and Ken’s involvement ceased.
Tyrrell was made
president of the BRDC and decided to return to his roots by acquiring a Cooper 500. Sadly
he was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to race again. Ken Tyrrell passed away in
August 2001.
